Pretty good aim

The Blow are an electro-pop outfit comprising Khaela Maricich and Jona Bechtolt. As a follow-up to their acclaimed album Paper Television, this twosome has re-released some of their earlier work. Poor Aim: Love Songs was originally released in 2004 as a limited release EP that only had a run of 700 copies. \nIf you're unfamiliar, what is great about the Blow is not only their strong electronic foundations Bechtolt provides but also the abundance of great hooks Maricich provides. The Blow seem to be an entity that can consistently have their melodies heard reverberating off shower walls or in other impromptu karaoke scenarios. \nPoor Aim: Love Songs centers around a basic concept: Bechtolt and Maricich wanted to make "radio-style pop songs" about the sting of rejection and unrequited love. The tracks aren't all equally strong, but this re-release contains the seven original tracks and six remixes with one track between that simply states, "Begin remix" that help sweeten the deal. The album contains great songs like the shuffling lovesick-and-loving-it anthem "Come on Petunia" and the clap-track heavy and sugary-sad "Hey Boy." Songs like "The Sky Opened Wide Like the Tide" also demonstrate a more spastic and speedy side of the duo.\nMost remixes are much more intense than the original songs and sometimes strip away some of the more bubbly elements of the songs. Many remixed tracks on Poor Aim: Love Songs also seem to be simply busier than what you'd expect from remixes of the Blow. The result isn't terrible, but in some cases it does strip away some of the charm of the original songs. Though, who doesn't love a good dance remix? "The Love that I Crave" turns into a club-worthy cut that doubles the length of the original song. Another interesting result occurs in the "The Sky Opened Wide Like the Tide" remix. The speedy electro tune morphs into a brisk new-age experiment complete with dissonant strings and light percussive accents.\nOverall this is a good look at the Blow's previous work and a chance to hear some fresh interpretations of their older songs. Poor Aim: Love Songs occasionally misses the target, but it is still highly enjoyable. However, my aim isn't to shoot the album down entirely, but this collection isn't the best place to start if you're looking to hear the best the Blow has to offer.